At the third International Conference for Future Mobility (ICFM) on Tuesday, arranged by Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma), the authorities analyzed the use of Mercedes remote parking system, Me Connect app, which enables the vehicle to park in any kind of parking comprising parallel, horizontal and angled, without any human intervention.

The Me Connect app is being tested in the UAE and hopefully will be available soon allowing drivers to reverse, forward, turn and easily park their Mercedes from the app.

“This feature is still not available in the UAE, we are currently working through the certification process, and we will soon make it available here,” said Oliver Niederer, a Mercedes ‘me connect’ executive.

He told the participants that this app would be very help in congested areas of Dubai with tight parking spaces. However, the driver has to be within the radius of 3 meters to use the app for parking.

“Many people find it difficult to park in congested areas, this will make sure the car is safely parked without any damage and hassle,” he added.

“Autonomous technology is still in different stages of development and it is developing fast. Though fully autonomous cars are already available, we are still not ready for roads. The technology will require a lot of steps before it is introduced on the roads. I feel driverless parking is the first natural step towards autonomous driving. This is the first time trials on autonomous features are happening in the UAE and I am sure we will continue to move forward,” said Abdullah Al Muaini, director-general of Esma.

“Hydrogen fuel technology is another thing we are focusing on right now. We are in discussion with the industry leaders, experts and other government bodies to formulate regulations for hydrogen-powered vehicles and I believe by next year these vehicles will be on UAE roads,” said Al Muaini.